Cosmote drew first blood in the 5G trial stakes, testing the technology in association with Nokia in October 2017. The trial used the 3.5GHz band. Further test permits are expected to be issued in 2018-2019.

Italy

Italy’s Agcom is set toauction spectrum for 5G wireless services in September 2018. The regulator said the government hopes to raise at least $2.9 billion (EUR2.5 billion) from the sale, although only half of the total raised would come this year. Spectrum will be made available in the 694MHz-790MHz, 3.6GHz-3.8GHz, and 26.5GHz-27.5GHz bands.

Two blocks of 80MHz spectrum and two of 20MHz will be sold in the 3.6GHz-3.8GHz band, with a spectrum cap of 100MHz per operator.

In the 700MHz band, six paired 5MHz blocks will be on offer, with two paired blocks (2×10MHz) reserved for a new entrant.

The 26.5GHz-27.5GHz spectrum will be split into five lots of 200MHz. Licenses will be valid until 2037, although the 700MHz frequencies will not open up until mid-2022.

Agcom has claimed that it’s the first European regulator to define the terms for a 5G spectrum sale, but its ambitions were dented in June 2018 when broadcaster Mediaset and media group Cairo Communication filed a pre-emptive appeal against the terms of the auction.

Mediaset and Cairo Communication argued that they currently hold some of the frequencies in question.

In March 2018,ANACOM unveiled a public 5G consultation, highlighting a number of spectrum bands that it was considering making available to cellcos. Top of the watchdog’s list is the 700MHz band, which ANACOM hopes to auction by mid-2020.

ANACOM noted that it was working with its regulatory counterparts in Spain and Morocco to ensure that there will be no cross-border interference issues as it seeks to introduce the 700MHz band. Other frequencies under discussion were 450MHz, 900MHz, 1500MHz, 1800MHz, 2100MHz, 2.6GHz, 3.6GHz, and 26GHz.

In October 2017, Vodafone Portugal achieved downlink transmission speeds of up to 20Gbps in a 5G trial carried out in association with Swedish vendor Ericsson. Rival MEO is expected to stage its own 3.6GHz 5G trial with Huawei in June 2018.

San Marino

In July 2017, TIM of Italy–the indirect owner of Telefonia Mobile Sammarinese–revealed that it planned to use San Marino as a testbed for the development of 5G technology, with the aim of making the enclave the first state in Europe to have a live 5G system.

In May 2018, MINCOTURinitiated the auction processfor 200MHz of spectrum in the 3.6GHz-3.8GHz band, which it said would be used to help operators deploy 5G wireless technology.

As per the sale plans, the spectrum is to be divided into 40 5MHz blocks, each of which will have a starting price of EUR2.5 million. This means that the process will generate a minimum of EUR100 million. Interested parties were asked to register their participation by the end of June 2018, and bidding for the concessions–each of which will be valid for years–is expected to commence by July 20.

Going forward, the government’s “Plan Nacional 5G” provisions for the future auction of spectrum are in the 1452MHz-1492MHz (1.5GHz) band. Further, a consultation into the award of 694MHz-790MHz (700MHz) spectrum—which the watchdog refers to as the “second digital dividend band,” following the prior distribution of 800MHz spectrum across Europe–took place in late-2017/early-2018. The band is expected to come into use by 2020.

Vodafone staged what it claimed was the “first 5G call in the world” with Huawei in February 2018, using 3.7GHz spectrum. For its part, Orange has disclosed plans to launch commercial 5G services in four as-yet-unconfirmed markets in 2019; the operator will seek to use a 40MHz block of 3.5GHz spectrum to do so.

Other Markets

To date there have been no concrete 5G auction plans disclosed by the regulatory authorities in Malta, Gibraltar, or Andorra. Given that the Malta Communications Authority auctioned 4G-suitable 800MHz and 2600MHz spectrum as recently as April this year, a 5G auction is not yet a priority. However, that has not dissuaded Melita, which only launched 4G services in May, from inking a 5G agreement with Ericsson.

Gibraltar’s Gibtelecom noted that its July 2017 upgrade contract with Ericsson will eventually pave the way for 5G, while Andorra Telecom has actively discouraged 5G speculation.

Read Next

The Road to 5G: How did the Verizon Wireless takeover of Straight Path impact the future of 5G mobile services in the U.S.? We explore.

Wireless in North America: Things are moving ever-closer to the first pre-commercial 5G launches in North America. We consider that in a wider round-up of the region’s wireless sector. Read all about it here.

Tom Leins

Tom Leins is a Senior Research Analyst for TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database. Based out of the company’s UK office, he also contributes to the company’s daily CommsUpdate newsletter, which includes his popular weekly MVNO Monday round-up.
MVNO industry aside, Tom has developed a strong specialization in the U.S., Latin America, and the Caribbean, tracking mergers and acquisitions, spectrum auctions, regulatory developments, market opportunities, and growth trends.